1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a detachable toner cartridge from which toner is supplied to a development unit in an image formation apparatus, such as copying machines, printers, and facsimile apparatus.
2. Discussion of Background
Image formation apparatus such as copying machines, printers and facsimile apparatus, utilizing electro-photography, are now widely used, in which a latent electrostatic image is formed on a photoconductor and developed with a developer, that is, a so-called toner, to a visible toner image, and the developed toner image is then transferred to a transfer sheet.
In such image formation apparatus utilizing electro-photography, as the toner held in a toner container is consumed, the toner is replenished to the toner container so that the toner is continuously used.
In a toner replenishment method of replenishing the toner to the development unit of the image formation apparatus, which is recently used, a container which holds the toner therein is disposed in the image formation apparatus, and the toner held in the container is loosened and mixed by a rotatable member incorporated in the container, and is then discharged outside from the container through a toner replenishment opening formed in the container. When the toner in the container is used up in the course of repeated image formation in the image formation apparatus, the vacant container is replaced by a new toner replenishment container, with the vacant container being detached from the image formation apparatus, and image formation is resumed. In most cases, the thus detached vacant container is generally scrapped.
However, recently it is desired to recycle the thus detached container without scrapping the same from the viewpoint of the effective use of resources.
In order to recycle the toner replenishment container, it is necessary to remove residual toner deposited on the inner surface of the container or on accessories such as a rotatable member disposed inside the container, or clean the inner surface of the container or accessories such as a rotatable member disposed inside the container. However, it is extremely difficult or impossible to remove the residual toner or clean the container sufficiently for recycling the container due to the structure of the container. For this reason, such toner container has not yet been recycled satisfactorily.
As far as the inventors of the present invention are aware of, it has not been proposed to recycle a toner replenishment container which includes accessories such as the rotatable member.
Japanese Patent Application 4-298774 proposes a method of recycling a toner replenishment container, but the toner replenishment container recycled therein does not include accessories such as the rotatable member.
In the above proposed recycling method, a rotatable member is disposed in a development unit of an image formation apparatus. In a wall of the development unit which is disposed just above the rotatable member, there is formed an opening of the same size as that of the toner replenishment container. The toner replenishment container is of a box type with a double structure comprising an external structure with rigidity made of a resin and an internal container made of paper or a flexible thin plastic material. The internal container is tightly fitted into the external structure, but is separable from the external structure. After toner is placed in the box type toner replenishment container, the upper surface thereof is sealed up. When the replenishment container is used, the seal is removed, and the toner replenishment container is attached to the opening formed in the development unit. After the toner is used up, the internal container is detached from the external structure and burnt up. The external structure is recycled. This proposal, however, is not a complete recycling method, since the internal container is discarded after detached from the external structure, and does not meet the recent social demand.